Shafi case; Journalists want Kurunegala Magistrate investigated

Dr Shafi Shahabdeen/Facebook.com

Sri Lanka Young Journalists Association (SLYJA) is seeking an investigation into the conduct of the Kurunegala Magistrate Sampath Hewawasam in the case of Senior House officer of Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Dr Segu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi.

The SLYJA has lodged a complaint with the Judicial Service Commission to this effect.

In this case, Dr Shafi is accused of rendering dozens of women infertile against their will.

In the complaint, the Journalists point out that several important figures involved in making accusations against Dr. Shafi are connected to the Kurunegala Hospital.

The wife of Kurunegala DIG Kithsiri Jayalath who conducted the investigations about Shafi is also a doctor in the hospital along with the wife of the Magistrate.

In their complaint to the JSC the journalists have said the Magistrate permitted the Director of the Hospital Dr. Sarath Weerabandara to depose in court about the safety of the test to ascertain the fertility of the complainant women on June 27.

The complaint made by the Young Journalists Association also states that the CID has reported that the director, who is a dentist, had been removed from the court proceedings.

The association has asked the Judicial Service Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, which could cause prejudice to the complainant, the defendant and the alleged victim and harm the faith that the general public has in the judiciary.